The full text of the National Conciliation
Document of the Palestinian Prisoners
(and Revision)

This document was adopted by Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including members of the Hamas and Fatah factions,
in the spring of 2006, as a basis for conciliation between the rival factions. It was subsequently ratified by the Hamas
and PLO/Fatah after revision. It was widely touted as granting implicit recognition to Israel, but Hamas leaders
emphasized when signing it that their charter remains in force and that the document does not grant recognition to
Israel. The document is conciliatory between
Palestinian factions. It is not a basis for peace that would be acceptable to Israel, and it doesn't seem to conform to
key provisions of the quartet
Middle East Peace
Roadmap Key provisions of the document include:

1- the Palestinian people in the homeland and in the Diaspora seek to liberate their land and to achieve their right in
freedom, return and independence and to exercise their right in self determination, including the right to establish
their independent state with al-Quds al-Shareef as its capital on all territories occupied in 1967 and to secure the
right of return for the refugees and to liberate all prisoners and detainees based on the historical right of our people
on the land of the fathers and grandfathers and based on the UN Charter and the international law and international
legitimacy.

The right of return of refugees is unacceptable to Israel. The goal of a state in the lands occupied in 1967 does not
necessarily imply the acceptance of the existence of Israel, or rule out claims to the entire territory between the
River and the Sea. The following provision contradicts the
Roadmap goal of
cessation of violence:

3- the right of the Palestinian people in resistance and clinging to the option of resistance with the various means and
focusing the resistance in the occupied territories of 1967 alongside with the political action and negotiations and
diplomatic action and continuation of popular and mass resistance against the occupation in its various forms and
policies and making sure there is broad participation by all sectors and masses in the popular resistance.

The key provisions of the document from the Palestinian point of view are reestablishment of the Palestine liberation
organization as the representative of the Palestinian people, an achievement threatened by Hamas opposition, and placing
the negotiations in the hands of President Abbas:

2- to work quickly on achieving what has been agreed upon in Cairo in March 2005 pertaining to the development and
activation of the PLO and the joining of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movements to the PLO which is the legitimate and sole
representative of the Palestinian people wherever they are located...

7- Administration of the negotiations is the jurisdiction of the PLO and the President of the PNA on the basis of
clinging to the Palestinian national goals and to achieve these goals on condition that any final agreement must be
presented to the new PNC for ratification or to hold a general referendum wherever it is possible.

In May of 2006, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called upon the Hamas government to accept the document within ten
days or alternatively, he called for a Palestinian referendum to approve the document in 40 days. According to reports,
Hamas is unwilling to accept the document.

On June 27, 2006, the document was revised and the Hamas and Fatah supposedly agreed to the revised version. The new text contains
a number of changes. Some of these may be due to differences in translation, but others appear to be quite significant.

Both texts are given below with indications of the revisions in the new text. There are chiefly:

1- Omission of reference to national and democratic nature of Palestinian movement in the new document, in keeping with
Hamas nationalist ideology.

2. This wording, chiefly reinforcing the claim for a right of return of Palestinian refugees, and emphasizing national
unity, is added in the introduction:

and based on the principle saying that rights don’t fall by law
of limitations, and on the basis of no recognition of the legitimacy of occupation and for the sake of
reinforcing the internal Palestinian front

3. Commitment to literal right of return is emphasized in article 1:

"...to their homes and properties from which they were evicted
and to compensate them

4. Commitment to UN resolutions and international law is "limited" by the following assertion, not present in the
original:

in a way that does not affect the rights of our people.

The UN Charter and international law provide for the right of self determination, which is Jus Cogens -
over-riding law. That law would negate the Palestinian claim of unlimited right of return for Palestinian refugees, as
well as the Hamas insistence, in their Charter,
on the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. A Hamas spokesperson announced that the Hamas charter remains in force
and Hamas leaders have insisted that the agreement does not not grant recognition to Israel.

Though it was announced that the revised version was agreed upon by Hamas and Fatah, apparently not all the sides agreed
finally, and therefore Mahmoud Abbas intended to hold a referendum on the document.

The full text of the National
Conciliation Document of the Prisoners
June 28, 2006

[This is the revised version in translation]

Source - http:// www.jmcc.org/documents/prisoners2.htm

In the name of God, the Compassionate and the Merciful, "Abide by the
decree of God and never disperse" (a verse from the Holy Quran)

Based on the high sense of historical national responsibility and in light
of the dangers facing our people and based on the principle saying that rights don’t fall by law of limitations,
and on the basis of no recognition of the legitimacy of occupation and for the sake of reinforcing the internal
Palestinian front and maintain and protect the national unity and the unity of our people in the homeland and in the
Diaspora and in order to confront the Israeli scheme that aims to impose the Israeli solution and to blow up the dream
and right of our people in establishing their independent state with full sovereignty; this scheme that the Israeli
government intends to execute in the next phase based on concluding the apartheid wall and the Judaization of Jerusalem
and expansion of the Israeli settlements and the seizure of the Jordan Valley and the annexation of large areas from the
West Bank and blocking the path in front of our people in exercising their right in return.

[the elision below in in the original text as published. It is not clear
what has been omitted]

…towards safeguarding the accomplishments of our people throughout this
long struggle and out of loyalty to our martyrs, prisoners and our injured and given that we are still in the a phase of
liberation, (omitted: " with nationalism and democracy as the basic features, ") this necessitates that we
formulate a political strategy. Therefore, with the goal of making our comprehensive national dialogue a success, based
on the Cairo Declaration and coupled with the urgent need for unity and solidarity, we put forth this document (the
national conciliation document) to our people, President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the PLO leadership, Prime Minister
Ismail Hanieh, the Council of Ministers, the Speaker and members of the PNC, the Speaker and members of the PLC, all
Palestinian forces and factions, all nongovernmental and popular organizations and institutions and to the popular
leadership of the Palestinians in the homeland and in the Diaspora.

This document is being put forth as a complete package and the introduction
is part of it:

1- The Palestinian people in the homeland and in the Diaspora seek and
struggle to liberate their land and remove the settlements and evacuate the settlers and remove the apartheid and
annexation and separation wall and to achieve their right to freedom, return and independence and to exercise their
right to self-determination, including the right to establish their independent state with al-Quds al-Shareef as its
capital on all territories occupied in 1967, and to secure the right of return for refugees to their homes and
properties from which they were evicted and to compensate them and to liberate all prisoners and detainees without
any discrimination and all of this is based on the historical right of our people on the land of our forefathers and
based on the UN Charter and international law and legitimacy in a way that does not affect the rights of our people.

2- To speed up efforts to achieve that which was agreed on in Cairo in
March 2005 pertaining to the development and reactivation of the PLO and the participation of all forces and factions to
it according to democratic principles that reinforce the status of the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the
Palestinian people wherever they are in a manner that meets with the changes on the Palestinian arena and in a manner
that consolidates the authority of the PLO to assume its responsibilities in leading our people in the homeland and the
Diaspora. The PLO should also be the body that mobilizes the people in defending their national, political and
humanitarian rights in the various fora and circles and in the international and regional arenas. Furthermore, our
national interest stipulates the formation of a new Palestinian National Council before the end of 2006 in a manner that
secures the representation of all Palestinian national and Islamic forces, factions and parties and all sectors of our
people through elections, where possible, according to proportional representation, and through agreement where it is
not possible to hold elections according to mechanisms set up by the Higher Committee resulting from the Cairo Dialogue.
The PLO therefore, will remain a broad front and framework and a comprehensive national coalition and the higher
political reference for all the Palestinians in the homeland and in the Diaspora.

3- The right of the Palestinian people to resist and to uphold the option
of resistance of occupation by various means and focusing resistance in territories occupied in 1967 in tandem with
political action, negotiations and diplomacy whereby there is broad participation from all sectors in the popular
resistance.

4- To formulate a Palestinian plan aimed at comprehensive political action;
to unify Palestinian political discourse on the basis of the Palestinian national goals as mentioned in this document
and according to Arab legitimacy and international legitimacy resolutions that grant justice to the Palestinian people
maintaining their rights and constants to be implemented by the PLO leadership and its institutions, and the PNA
represented in president and government, the national and Islamic factions, the civil society organizations and public
figures. This is aimed at mobilizing Arab, Islamic and international political, financial, economic and humanitarian
support and solidarity with our people and the PNA and to gain support for the right of our people to
self-determination, freedom, return and independence; furthermore, it is aimed at confronting Israel’s plan to impose
any unilateral solution on our people and to confront the oppressive siege.

5- To protect and support the PNA since it is the nucleus of the future
state and was born of the struggle and sacrifices of the Palestinian people; to stress that higher national interests
call for respecting the "Basic Law" of the PNA and the effective laws and for respecting the responsibilities and
authorities of the president elected according to the will of the Palestinian people through free, honest and democratic
elections. It also calls for respecting the responsibilities and authorities of the government granted by a vote of
confidence from the PLC which came through free and honest and democratic elections and stress on the importance and
need for creative cooperation between the presidency and the government; there should be joint action and regular
meetings between them to achieve and reinforce cooperation and integration according to the provisions of the Basic Law
and the higher national interests and for the need for comprehensive reforms in PNA institutions, especially the
judiciary whereby the judiciary authority should be respected at all levels, its rulings implemented reinforce the rule
of the law.

6- To work on forming a national unity government that secures the
participation of parliamentary blocs and political forces interested in participating on the basis of this document and
the joint program to upgrade the Palestinian situation at the local, Arab, regional and international levels. Their goal
is also to implement the reform program and develop the national economy and encourage investment and fight poverty and
unemployment and provide best possible care for the sectors that carried the burden of steadfastness, resistance and the
Intifada and who were the victims of the Israeli aggression. In particular, this refers to the families of martyrs,
prisoners and injured and the owners of demolished homes and properties, destroyed by the occupation, and the unemployed
and graduates.

7- Administration of the negotiations falls within the jurisdiction of the
PLO and the President of the PNA, which will be on the basis of adhering to Palestinian national goals as mentioned in
this document on condition that any agreement must be presented to the new PNC for ratification or a general
referendum to be held in the homeland and the Diaspora through organizing the referendum. (replaces " to hold a
general referendum wherever it is possible")

8- Liberation of the prisoners and detainees is a sacred national duty that
must be assumed by all Palestinian national and Islamic forces and factions, the PLO and the PNA represented in
President and government, the PLC and all resistance forces.

9- Stressing on the need to double our efforts to support and care for the
refugees and defend their rights and work on holding a popular conference representing the refugees that would create
commissions to carry out duties towards the refugees and to stress on the right of return; the international community
should also be pressured to implement Resolution 194 which stipulates the right of refugees to return and to be
compensated.

10- To work on forming a unified resistance front called the "Palestinian
Resistance Front" to lead and engage in resistance against the occupation and to unify and coordinate resistance action
and work on defining a unified political reference for the front.

11- To cling to the principles of democracy and to hold regular, general,
free and honest democratic elections according to the law for the presidency, the PLC and the local and municipal
councils and trade unions and federations and to respect the principle of a peaceful and smooth transfer of authority
and to stress on the principle of separation of authorities; the Palestinian democratic experience should be protected
and any democratic choice and its results respected; furthermore, there should be respect for the rule of the law,
public and fundamental freedoms, freedom of the press and equality among the citizens in rights and duties without
discrimination; the achievements of women should be respected and further developed and promoted.

12- To reject and denounce the oppressive siege on the Palestinian people
being led by the US and Israel and to call on the Arabs at the popular and official levels to support the Palestinian
people, the PLO and the PNA and to call on the Arab governments to implement the political, financial, economic, and
media decisions of the Arab summits that support the Palestinian people and their national cause; to stress that the PNA
is committed to the Arab consensus and to joint Arab action that supports our just cause and the higher Arab
interests.

13- To call on the Palestinian people to strive for unity and solidarity,
to unify their ranks and to support the PLO and PNA represented in president and government; to endorse the people’s
steadfastness and resistance in the face of Israeli aggression and siege and to reject any interference in internal
Palestinian affairs.

14- To denounce all forms of division that could lead to internal strife;
to condemn the use of weapons in settling internal disputes and to ban the use of weapons among the people; to stress on
the sanctity of Palestinian blood and to adhere to dialogue as the sole means of resolving disagreements. There should
be freedom of expression through ["all" is omitted] the media, which also applies to any party in opposition to
the authority and its decisions in accordance with the law; adherence to the right to peaceful protest and to organize
marches, demonstrations and sit-ins on condition that they be peaceful and unarmed and do not attack the property of
citizens or public property.

15- The national interest necessitates the need to find the best means of
allowing our people and their political forces in the Gaza Strip to participate in the battle for freedom, return and
independence while bearing in mind the new situation in Gaza strip as true elevation and power for the steadfastness of
our people and on the base of using the struggle methods of resisting the occupation while taking into consideration the
higher interests of our people.

16- The need to reform and develop the Palestinian security system in all
its branches in a modern manner that allows them to assume their responsibilities in defending the homeland and people
and in confronting the aggression and the occupation; their duties also include maintaining security and public order,
enforcing laws, ending the state of security chaos and lawlessness, ending the public show of arms and parades and
confiscating any weapons that harm the resistance and distort its image or those that threaten the unity of Palestinian
society; there is also a need to coordinate and organize the relationship between the security forces and the resistance
and organize and protect their weapons.

17- To call on the PLC to continue issuing laws that regulate the work of
the security apparatus in its various branches and to work towards issuing a law that bans the exercise of political and
partisan action by members of the security services whereby they are required to abide by the elected political
reference as defined by law.

18- To work on expanding the role and presence of international solidarity
committees and peace-loving groups that support our people in their just struggle against the occupation, settlements
and the apartheid wall both politically and locally; to work towards the implementation of the International Court of
Justice ruling at The Hague pertaining to the dismantlement of the wall and settlements and their illegitimate presence.

The full text of the National Conciliation
Document of the Palestinian Prisoners

[This is the original version]

May 11, 2006

In the name of God, the Compassionate and the Merciful,
"Abide by the decree of God and never disperse" (a verse from the Holy Qur'an)

Based on a high sense of national and historical responsibility, and owing to the dangers facing our people and for the
sake of reinforcing and consolidating the Palestinian internal front and protection of national unity and the unity of
our people in the homeland and in the Diaspora, and in order to confront the Israeli scheme that aims to impose the
Israeli solution which shatters the dream of our people and the right of our people in establishing their independent
Palestinian state with full sovereignty; this scheme that the Israeli government intends to impalement in the next phase
as establishment of the erection and completion of the apartheid wall and the Judaization of the Jerusalem and the
expansion of the Israeli settlements and the seizure of the Jordan Valley and the annexation of vast areas of the West
Bank and blocking the path in front of our people to exercise their right in return.

In order to maintain the accomplishments of our people achieved in long struggle path and in loyalty to the martyrs of
our great people and the pains of their prisoners and the agony of their injured, and based on the fact that we are
still passing through a liberation phase with nationalism and democracy as the basic features, and this imposes a
political struggle strategy that meets with these features and in order to make the Palestinian comprehensive national
dialogue succeed, and based on the Cairo Declaration and the urgent need for unity and solidarity, we present this
document (the national conciliation document) to our great steadfast people and to President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen and
to the PLO Leadership and to the PM Ismail Hanieh and to the Council of Ministers and to the Speaker of the PNC and to
the members of the PNC and to the Speaker and members of the PLC and to all Palestinian forces and factions and to all
nongovernmental and popular organizations and institutions and to leadership of Palestinian public opinion in the
homeland and in the Diaspora.

Hoping to consider this document as one whole package and with the hope to see this document get unanimous support and
approval and that it can contribute to reach a Palestinian national conciliation document.

1- the Palestinian people in the homeland and in the Diaspora seek to liberate their land and to achieve their right in
freedom, return and independence and to exercise their right in self determination, including the right to establish
their independent state with al-Quds al-Shareef as its capital on all territories occupied in 1967 and to secure the
right of return for the refugees and to liberate all prisoners and detainees based on the historical right of our people
on the land of the fathers and grandfathers and based on the UN Charter and the international law and international
legitimacy.

2- to work quickly on achieving what has been agreed upon in Cairo in March 2005 pertaining to the development and
activation of the PLO and the joining of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movements to the PLO which is the legitimate and sole
representative of the Palestinian people wherever they are located and in a manner that meets with changes on the
Palestinian arena according to democratic principles and to consolidate the fact that the PLO is the legitimate and sole
representative of the Palestinian people in a manner that reinforces the capacity of the PLO to assume its
responsibilities in leading our people in the homeland and in the Diaspora and in mobilizing the people and in defending
their national, political and humanitarian rights in the various fora and circles and in the international and regional
arenas and based on the fact that the national interest stipulates the formation of a new Palestinian National Council
before the end of 2006 in a manner that secures the representation of all Palestinian national and Islamic forces,
factions and parties and all concentrations of our people everywhere and the various sectors and the figures on
proportional basis in representation and presence and struggle and political, social and popular effectiveness and to
maintain the PLO as a broad front and framework and a comprehensive national coalition and a gathering framework for all
the Palestinians in the homeland and in the Diaspora and to be the higher political reference.

3- the right of the Palestinian people in resistance and clinging to the option of resistance with the various means and
focusing the resistance in the occupied territories of 1967 alongside with the political action and negotiations and
diplomatic action and continuation of popular and mass resistance against the occupation in its various forms and
policies and making sure there is broad participation by all sectors and masses in the popular resistance.

4- To set up a Palestinian plan towards comprehensive political action and to unify the Palestinian political rhetoric
on the basis of the Palestinian national consensus program and Arab legitimacy and the international legitimacy
resolutions that grant justice to the Palestinian people who are represented by the PLO and the PNA as president and
government, and the national and Islamic factions and the civil society organizations and the public figures in order to
mobilize Arab, Islamic and international political and financial and economic and humanitarian support and solidarity to
our people and to our PNA and to support the right of our people in self determination and freedom and return and
independence and to confront the plan of Israel in imposing the Israeli solution on our people and to confront the
oppressive siege on the Palestinian people.

5- To protect and reinforce the PNA since it is the nucleus of the future state; this PNA which was established by the
struggle and sacrifices, blood and pain of the Palestinian people and to stress on the fact the higher national
interests stipulates respecting the temporary constitution of the PNA and the effective laws and respecting the
responsibilities and authorities of the president elected according to the will of the Palestinian people through free,
honest and democratic elections and to respect the responsibilities and authorities of the government that was granted
the confidence vote by the PLC.

And the importance and the need for creative cooperation between the presidency and the government and joint work and
hold regular meetings between them to settle any disputes that might arise through brotherly dialogue based on the
temporary constitution and for the sake of the higher interests and the need to hold a comprehensive reform in the PNA
institutions, especially the judicial apparatus and the respect of the judiciary authority at all levels and to
implement its decisions and to reinforce the rule of the law.

6- to form a national unity government on a basis that secures the participation of all parliament blocs, especially
Fatah and Hamas and the political forces that desire to participate on the basis of this document and the joint program
to upgrade the Palestinian situation at the local, Arab, regional and international levels and to confront the
challenges through having a strong national government that enjoys Palestinian popular and political support from all
forces and to present the best possible care for the sectors that carried the burden of steadfastness and resistance and
the Intifada and who were the victims of the Israeli criminal aggression, especially the families of the martyrs,
prisoners and injured and the owners of the demolished homes and properties which were destroyed by the occupation, in
addition to the care to the unemployed and the graduates.

7- Administration of the negotiations is the jurisdiction of the PLO and the President of the PNA on the basis of
clinging to the Palestinian national goals and to achieve these goals on condition that any final agreement must be
presented to the new PNC for ratification or to hold a general referendum wherever it is possible.

8- To liberate the prisoners and detainees is a sacred national duty that must be assumed by all Palestinian national
and Islamic forces and factions and the PLO and the PNA as President and government and the PLC and all resistance
forces.

9- The need to double efforts to support and care for the refugees and defend their rights and work on holding a popular
conference representing the refugees which should come up with commissions to follow up its duties and to stress on the
right of return and to cling to this right and to call on the international community to implement Resolution 194 which
stipulates the right of the refugees to return and to be compensated.

10- to work on forming a unified resistance front under the name "Palestinian resistance front" to lead and engage in
resistance against the occupation and to unify and coordinate action and resistance and to form a unified political
reference for the front.

11- to cling to the democratic trend and to hold regular general free and honest and democratic elections according to
the law for the president and the PLC and the local and municipal councils and to respect the principle of peaceful and
smooth transfer of authority and to promise to protect the Palestinian democratic experience and respect the democratic
choice and its results and respect the rule of the law and the public and basic freedoms and freedom of the press and
equality among the citizens in rights and duties without any discrimination and to protect the achievements of women and
develop and reinforce them.

12- to reject and denounce the oppressive siege against the Palestinian people which is being led by the US and Israel
and call on the Arabs at the popular and official levels to support the Palestinian people and the PLO and the PNA and
to call on the Arab governments to implement the political, financial, economic, and media decisions of the Arab summits
that support the Palestinian people and their steadfastness and their national cause and to stress that the PNA is
committed to the Arab consensus and to joint Arab action.

13- to call on the Palestinian people for unity and solidarity and unifying the ranks and support the PLO and the PNA as
president and government and to reinforce steadfastness and resistance in face of the aggression and siege and to reject
intervention in the Palestinian internal affairs.

14- to denounce all forms of split that can lead to internal conflicts and to condemn the use of weapons regardless of
the reasons in settling internal disputes and to ban the use of weapons among the members of the Palestinian people and
to stress on the sanctity of the Palestinian blood and to abide by dialogue as the sole means to solve disagreements and
freedom of expression through all media, including the opposition to the authority and its decisions on the basis of the
law and the right of peaceful protest and to organize marches and demonstrations and sit ins on condition that they be
peaceful and without any arms and not to attack the properties of citizens and public property.

15- The national interest stipulates the need to look for the best means towards the continuation of participation of
the Palestinian people and their political forces in Gaza Strip in their new situation in the battle for freedom, return
and independence and to liberate the West Bank and Jerusalem in a manner that makes the steadfast Gaza Strip a real
support force to steadfastness and resistance of our people in the West Bank and Jerusalem as the national interest
stipulates reassessing the struggle methods to seek the best methods to resist occupation.

16- the need to reform the develop the Palestinian security institution with all its branches on a modern basis and in a
manner that makes them capable of assuming their tasks in defending the homeland and the citizens and in confronting the
aggression and the occupation and to maintain security and public order and implement the laws and end the state of
chaos and security chaos and end the forms of public armed presence and parades and confiscation of the chaotic weapons
that harm the resistance and distort its image and that threaten the unity of the Palestinian society and the need to
coordinate and organize the relation with the forces of resistance and organize and protect their weapons.

17- to call on the PLC to continue to issue laws that organize the work of the security institution and apparatuses with
their various branches and work on issuing a law that bans exercise of political and partisan action by the members of
the security services and to abide by the elected political reference as defined by the law.

18- to work on expanding the role and presence of the international solidarity committees and the peace loving groups
that support our people in their just struggle against the occupation, settlements, the apartheid wall politically and
locally and to work towards the implementation of the International Court of Justice decision at The Hague pertaining to
the removal of the wall and settlements and their illegitimate presence.